Centering device.



VI E. SISSON.

CENTERING DEVICE.

APPLlUATION FILEI/ AUG. 31 1111 1,080,724, Patented Dec 9 1913.

llfz'ihassvs: .FZMWZZ??? c; 1 64 41 W k ZMM4 224's a5 UNITED sTAisgafrENT OFFICE VINTON E. SISSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOWALTER P. MURPHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CENTERING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 31, 1911. Serial No. 646,999.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, VINION Id. SISSUN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in CenteringDevices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway car construction, particularly to theform and arrangement of the striking-casting and drawbar centeringdevice for freight ears, but is applicable to other *ars as well, andcomprises certain improvements in these parts whereby a quicker and morepositive drawbar centering action is obtained and weak parts of thestructure are relieved from undue strain.

My invention further comprises certain details of construction of thecar end framing and striking-casting whereby the ill effects of endwiseshifting of the lading are largely overcome and there results a simpleand strong structure to resist the heavy shocks which these parts haveto sustain in service.

Further details of my invention appear in connection with thedescription of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the acconlpanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, and are particularlypointed out in the claims.

Applicants co-pending applications Serial Nos. 046998 and 047000, forimprovements in centering devices and car end framing, respectively,filed conciu'rently here with, contain claims for subject-matter shown,but not claimed, herein.

In the drawings, in which like characters are used to designate likeparts wherever they occur-Figure 1 is a view of a portion of the endframing of a car showing the strikingcasting and draw-bar centeringdevice in elevation, the location of the drawbar being indicated by dotand dash lines; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same partly in sectionon the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, the end sill being removed; Fig. 3 is atransverse section through the sill on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; and Fig.4 is a similar sectional view on the line 44 in Fig. 1.

In the portion of the end framing of a car illustrated in the drawings,the end sill I, is a solid timber, upon which rests the lower ends ofthe end posts 2, also of wood.

These end posts may be mortised into the end sill, but I prefer tosecure the lower ends without cutting into the timber as here inafterdescribed. The end sill rests upon the ends of the draft sills 3, 3,which extend the full length of the car and to which the draft riggingand draw-bars at either end are attached. The striking-casting 4, issecured to the ends of the draft sills by the angles 0. 0, rivetedthereto, and by the flanges 7, 7, extending from the depending arms 9,9, back parallel with the draft sills and securely bolted thereto. Thestrikingcasting is secured to the end sill by the trus rods 5, 5,extending from end to end of the car, and bearing upon thestriking-castings at either end through the nuts 8. The end posts 2 aresecured to the striking-casting directly by means of the lugs 10 towhirl they are bolted. This arrangement providcS a solid abutment forthe outer sides of the end posts, and precludes the latter being forcedout by the lading in the car shifting in case of sudden changes in thespeed of the car. as might be the case were they merely let into notchesin the end sill, or bolted to it. Moreover, my method of construction ischeaper to build and avoids weakening the end sill by cutting into it.

The carry-iron 1] for the draw-bar is arranged to be partly embraced atits ends by the bifurcated arms 9 of the striking-east.- ing, and ispivotally suspended by the links 12, swung from trunnions 13 havingtheir support in bearings 14 in the striking-cast ing. The distancebetween these bearings 14 greater than the distance between the pins 15connecting the links to the carryiron, so the links do not swingparallel with each other but are slightly inclined toward each other atthe bottom. This arrange ment of links gives a quicker action to thedevice, that is, it results in the carry-iron be ing returned morequickly by the force of gravity to the central position after beingmoved therefrom.

The pins 15 are secured in the ends of the carry-iron by means of splitcotter-pins, which may be removed without difficulty. The ends of thepins 15 project beyond the carry-iron and under the arc-shapedterminations 16 of the outer bifurcations of the arms 9, therebypreventing the links 12 from jumping out of their hearings in thestriking-casting. To assemble the draw-bar in Patented Dec. 9, 1913/ thecentering device it. is not necessary to slip it in from the end, adiflicult undertaking under some circumstam'es, but by removing one ofthe pins 15 the carry-iron may be dropped out of the way and thedraw-bar inserted or removed vertically.

The upper surface of the carry-iron is made slightly convex, as shown at17, in order to give a better bearing for the draw-bar when thecarry-iron is swung in mid position than would be the case were thecarryiron straight,'as in the latter case with the inclined linkarrangement the carry-iron would take a slight. slant, and the draw-barwould either bear only at a corner or it would be slightly rotated onits axis to correspond to the slant of the carryiron.

It is evident that the inclined links 12 might be arranged in other waysthan that shown in the drawings and, so long as they are somewhatinclined to each other, the quick return action would not be materiallyatfected.

I do not wish to be limited to the precise forms and arrangement ofparts as above described, but what I desire to secure by Letters Patentis the equivalent of the form and arrangement of parts as above setforth.

I claim 1. A carrier for draw-bars, said carrier comprising memberspivotally supported at the ends by trunnions and positioned obliquely, adraw-bar support carried thereby for swinging movement, and lugs on saiddraw-bar support which are adapted to slidably engage with fixedportions of the car.

2. In a carrier for draw-bars, a member fixed at the end the car, acarry-iron pivotally supported at each end to said member by linkspositioned obliquely, said carry-iron slidably engaging in notchesprovided in said member.

3. In a centering device for draw-bars, a carry-iron having endbifurcations and a middle portion adapted to support a draw bar,supporting members mounted in said end bifurcations and axially pivotedat fixed points of support on the car to swing transversely thereof,said fixed points being spaced equi-distant from the center line of thecar and at a total distance apart different from the length of thecarry-iron between its points of support.

4. In a centering device for draw-bars, a carry-iron having end bearingsand a middle portion adapted to support a draw-bar, supporting membershaving ends pivotally mounted in said end bearings and journaled at theopposite ends in bearings fixed on the car, said last mentioned bearingsbeing at a greater distance apart than the distance between the endbearings of the carry-iron so said supporting members are inclinedinwardly in their normal position.

5. In a car, the combination of d'raft sills, a member connecting saiddraft sills and provided with depending portions, a carryiron pivotallysuspended from said member and slidably engaging said dependingportions, said carry-iron comprising a convex part adapted to support adrawbar, and said carry -iron suspending means yieldingly holding saidconvex part in central alinement with the center line of the car.

6. In a centering device for draw-bars, a movable carry-iron adapted tosupport a draw-bar, links pivotally mounted on the car and attached tosaid carry-iron by pins, said pins being adapted to engage with fixedportions of the car to prevent upward dis placement of the carry-iron inall positions thereof.

7. In a centering device for draw-bars, a carry-iron provided with meansfor centrally supporting a draw-bar thereon, links provided withtrunnions pivoted to the ends of said carry-iron, said trunnions beingmounted in bearings on a member rigidly attached to the frame of thecar, and means associated with said links to prevent the trunnions fromjumping out of their bearings when in assembled position.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 28th day of August, 1911.

VINTON E. SISSON.

VVitnessc-s:

A. M. HoLcoMnE, M. A. SHEL'roN.

